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Feminism: Sex & gender discussions

DSM 5 Gender Dysphoria - the psychotherapy bible

13 replies

Sciencemightsaveyoustoriescant · 17/03/2020 15:18

Here's a thought after looking at the DSM5 Diagnostic Criteria for Gender Dysphoria in children - abdominalkey.com/the-dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria-for-gender-dysphoria/

In summary, if you're girl that does not like pink clothes and dolls, plus you think you're a boy for over six months - you have Gender Dysphoria. With Trans Affirmation being the approach for Schools, LGBTQ+ support charities and the NHS this means you're trans and a candidate for hormone treatment.

There's so little room here for the normal, strong girls we're trying to bring up that typically favour non pink clothes and trousers. I wonder if the parents bringing up their strong girls realise they're qualifying their child for hormone treatments to fix this.

The test - you only need to fail two items:

 A. A marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, of at least 6 months’ duration, as manifested by at least six of the following (one of which must be Criterion A1):

  1. A strong desire to be of the other gender or an insistence that one is the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one’s assigned gender)
  2. In boys (assigned gender), a strong preference for cross-dressing or simulating female attire; or in girls (assigned gender), a strong preference for wearing only typical masculine clothing and a strong resistance to the wearing of typical feminine clothing
  3. A strong preference for cross-gender roles in make-believe play or fantasy play
  4. A strong preference for the toys, games, or activities stereotypically used or engaged in by the other gender
  5. A strong preference for playmates of the other gender
  6. In boys (assigned gender), a strong rejection of typically masculine toys, games, and activities and a strong avoidance of rough-and-tumble play; or in girls (assigned gender), a strong rejection of typically feminine toys, games, and activities
  7. A strong dislike of one’s sexual anatomy
  8. A strong desire for the primary and/or secondary sex characteristics that match one’s experienced gender


Disclaimer - I do not have psychotherapy training.
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LindaSmithfanclub · 17/03/2020 15:56

That's terrifying. There were periods of my adolescence during which, as an intelligent girl rebelling against traditional femininity and about the unwanted attention my developing body was attracting, I refused to wear skirts and make-up. And I was good at science and maths. And I was critical and angry of 'proper' women and girls. I clearly had a lucky escape.

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midgebabe · 17/03/2020 16:19

That's me...now!

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Imnobody4 · 17/03/2020 16:30

To be honest I no longer regard psychologists as serious professionals, they are about the same level as people who call themselves nutritionists. Peer review and replication studies are in complete mess, they really need to get their house in order.

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Sciencemightsaveyoustoriescant · 17/03/2020 16:41

Correction needed - psychologists, not psychotherapy

Disclaimer - I do not have psychology training either.

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ahumanfemale · 17/03/2020 16:56

I posted about something similar earlier. The DSM is compiled by psychiatrists, not psychologists. It's by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). There's another APA which is the American Psychological Association, but they're not responsible.

The first page of the gender dysphoria chapter has an intro to it. Keeping in mind this is written by medical doctors, it's utterly shocking. How can doctors who acknowledge biological sex not understand that sex is observed at birth, not assigned? And even laying out that it's social, they STILL refer to gender as assigned at birth!

DSM 5 Gender Dysphoria - the psychotherapy bible
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ahumanfemale · 17/03/2020 16:57

*psychologists are not blame free in all this, it's just they aren't writing the diagnostic bible.

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ScrimpshawTheSecond · 17/03/2020 18:53

A strong preference for the toys, games, or activities stereotypically used or engaged in by the other gender

gahaargh

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NearlyGranny · 17/03/2020 22:16

So, -failing- refusing to conform to gender stereotypes, then? Isn't that most of us, most of the time?!

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Coyoacan · 17/03/2020 23:20

It almost makes me want to discourage my granddaughter's gender non-conformity to keep her safe.

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NearlyGranny · 17/03/2020 23:52

Submissive handmaidens all, when questioned, if they want to be left alone to just grow up.

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Sciencemightsaveyoustoriescant · 18/03/2020 00:20

@ahumanfemale - I'll get there eventually, thank you - psychiatrists' bible

Usual disclaimer applies

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Aesopfable · 18/03/2020 01:01

I understood it all more when someone explained to me that DSM is a political document not a medical one.

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Ereshkigalangcleg · 18/03/2020 14:27

Yes exactly.

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